To Understand
by Arctic Bee
Summary: Tomoyo laughed at this, her amethyst eyes lighting up with amusement. “Oh Kurogane, whatever will I do with you?” Pre-series oneshot


A/N- Hello there! I was thinking of something new to write for TRC… and well, I thought of something. I've realized I haven't a lot of Kurogane and Tomoyo interaction. That's a shame considering I absolutely loved the way they talk to each other. So I decided I'd take up the challenge as a KuroFai fan to write some in-character Kurogane and Tomoyo interaction. I didn't intend for this to be considered as KuroTomo, but I'm leaving it up to interpretation so tell me what you think : D

On another note, this isn't the last time I'm going to be writing something (more 'n likely a one-shot) with Tomoyo and Kurogane as the main characters (: . Watch out for that! As for warnings…none for this fic. It happens before Tsubasa starts, and Kurogane's language is mild.

Disclaimer- I don't own this ninja or this princess. D:

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It was a hot sticky day at the Shirasagi Castle, a time when most people were still inside, groaning about the heat. The Palace Guard had even canceled their daily training session, fearing that the ninja would suffer heatstroke from practicing so intensely in the hot sun. But even despite this, one ninja remained, cutting down posts left and right in the practice area, only pausing to wipe the sweat off his brow.

The ninja's name was Kurogane from the destroyed providence of Suwa. He was the youngest on the Palace Guard, but he made up for that by constantly training, constantly pushing himself to higher levels. This dedication had earned him the splendor of being one of Tomoyo's strongest ninjas, but also earned him scorn for his lack of consideration when it came to human lives.

He battled for the sake of battling; justifying his actions by proclaiming it was to protect his princess. While Kurogane did care for the brunette miko, more times then not the reason he killed was because he didn't know how to stop fighting, he didn't know how to understand others.

"Kurogane, you're still training?"

Kurogane spun around as he heard the cheerful voice of Tomoyo, and saw her small petite figure standing at the edge of the area, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "You're so dedicated!"

"Tomoyo-hime." Kurogane grunted, ignoring the comment and lowering his sword as he made his way over to her. He noted with distaste the multiple layers of clothing she wore, even in the intense heat (he had opted to train with only with a black tank top and pants) and the slight flush that was beginning to appear over her pale skin. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Is that anyway to speak to your princess?" Tomoyo chided lightly, poking Kurogane on the shoulder. "And as the Tsukiyomi I don't need a reason to be 'the hell' out here."

Kurogane merely scoffed at this as he began adjusting the position of his sword, the one Tomoyo had given him not too long ago. "Tch yeah but it'll be a pain to drag your unconscious body back to the castle when you faint. Not to mention I'll get yelled at by everybody 'cuz I poisoned you or something."

Tomoyo laughed at this, her amethyst eyes lighting up with amusement. "Oh Kurogane, whatever will I do with you?"

"…why are you asking me?"

Tomoyo stopped laughing, narrowing her face into a pout. "That question was hypothetical Kurogane."

"Hypo..what?" The ninja had growled back. It wasn't that he was dumb, after all his parents had taught him to read and write, but he saw no need for further education. He considered his instincts something more worthwhile to work on then anything he could read in a book.

"Ohoho! Does Kurogane not know what hypothetical means?" Tomoyo chuckled innocently behind her sleeve and Kurogane scrunched his nose and turned his face away.

"Like I care what the damn word means!" The brunet ninja hissed, glaring at Tomoyo. "It's probably just some stupid word that has a really stupid meaning."

"You shouldn't think of things like that Kurogane." Tomoyo now looked sad, placing a small pale hand on Kurogane's. "It's alright if you didn't know what the word meant. I would not of thought any less of you if you asked me to explain it. But you told me because you don't understand something, you reject it. That is not the way you should be."

"WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO?" Kurogane yelled, about to pull his hand out from under Tomoyo's when he stopped, realizing what exactly he had just said aloud. "…hime…"

"I can't tell you what to do and expect you to do it Kurogane. That's true. But… it would make me happy if you did."

Kurogane had sighed, turning his hand around so his palm would rest against the back of Tomoyo's.

Tomoyo-hime…I swore my life to protect you. I have to get stronger so I can do that. I can't afford to waste time 'understanding others' when I have a goal to achieve."

His fierce crimson eyes bore into Tomoyo, and she could see the determination that lurked in them, the stubbornness that only Kurogane possessed.

"Very well then Kurogane… I have to get back to my duties. After all, it is rather hot out here." The Tsukiyomi removed her hand and made a movement to walk back to the Shirasagi Castle, only being stopped by her ninja's gruff voice.

"I'll escort you back Tomoyo-hime." He spoke aloud, though he sounded like he'd want to do anything but.

"It's fine." Tomoyo smiled, turning to Kurogane who still stood with his arm extended. "I came here alone and I can go back alone. I'll leave you to your training."

"…Fine."

As Tomoyo walked back to the palace her smile slipped to a frown as she contemplated what Kurogane had said, and of the future she had seen…the future of what would happen to Kurogane after being placed in _that man's_ hands. But…would it be for the better? The ninja was wasting away in Nihon, not being able to discover his true potential. In that future she had seen Kurogane was a wise man, a man who was able to accept what he couldn't understand and strive to learn more about it. She would be holding her strong ninja back if she did not let him embrace that future.

"Oh Kurogane…" Tomoyo whispered to herself. "It appears I'll have to send you on that journey after all."

_You'll learn far more from them then you'll ever learn from me. _

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End file.
